More than 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer and each year, making it more common than leukemia and melanoma. Yet, 75 percent of those cases are preventable and up to 90 percent are treatable if detected early. This data underscores the importance of visiting an AACD member dentist regularly.

Laura Kelly, President of the AACD, has these recommendations for maintaining a healthy, whiter, beautiful smile:

1. Follow proper oral health care, including brushing and flossing daily. Brush your teeth every 12 hours and/or after each meal, and floss at least once a day (this helps remove stains that develop between your teeth.)

2. Visit an AACD member dentist every six months or as scheduled.

3. Avoid hazardous chemicals from smoking and tobacco.

4. Raw veggies are not only healthy to eat, but they will clean your teeth and remove topical stains.

5. Strawberries and lemons are natural teeth whiteners. Rub each fruit on your teeth and rinse well with water.

6. Baking soda will help remove stains and build up. Brush on your teeth with it twice a month, just as you would toothpaste, and then rinse.

8. Consider an at-home dentist-supervised treatment, whereby patients wear a custom-fitted mouth tray containing whitening gel for a few hours each day or night. According to the study, nearly 88% of AACD cosmetic dentists report that at-home custom-fitted whitening trays supervised by a dentist remains the most effective teeth whitening procedure.

9. Jump start your at-home routine with an in-office power whitening, whereby a whitening gel containing a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide is applied to the teeth and desired results can often be achieved in just one visit. Then sustain it with at-home treatments.

10. While numerous over-the-counter kits are now available, dentist-supervised treatments remain the safest way to remove stains from teeth. OTC trays often fit improperly and can release whitening gel that results in irritated gums and less effective results.